before I read this book, I had never previously taken the time to read anything dedicated to the subject before, so as a videogame fan I found it quite useful for expanding my knowledge of the subject. I'll be honest and say that while I understood the concept of neo-liberalism through inference from reading the news, etc. The four games each represent a different type of response to neo-liberalism - hedonism for Saints Row IV, cynicism for Grand Theft Auto V and so on. Obviously, the four mainstream videogames selected for analysis are not dedicated to exploring neo-liberalism as a theme - the idea is that neo-liberalism is such a pervasive background element of our society that the narratives of these games are implicitly responses to neo-liberalism. Obviously, the four mainstream videogames selected for analysis are not dedicated to exploring neo-liberalism as a theme - the idea is that neo-liberalism is such a pervasive background element of our society that the narratives of these games are implicitly responses t Ideology and the Virtual City is a short but quite dense book exploring how neo-liberalism (the market-oriented value system that dominates our modern society) is represented in four different videogames set in city environments. Ideology and the Virtual City is a short but quite dense book exploring how neo-liberalism (the market-oriented value system that dominates our modern society) is represented in four different videogames set in city environments. Interactive entertainment can help us understand the ways in which people relate to a modern 'common sense' neoliberal background, in terms of absorbing assumptions, and questioning them.more The book takes readers into a range of simulated urban environments that symbolise the hidden antagonisms of social life and create outlandish resolutions through their power fantasies.
It combines a prescient social theory that describes how 'neoliberal' ideology in today's societies dominates our economic, political and cultural ideals, with an entertaining exploration of narratives, characters and play structures in some of today's most interesting videogames. It combines a prescient social theory that describes how 'neoliberal' ideology in today's societies dominates our economic, political and cultural ideals, with an entertaining exploration of narratives, characters and play structures in some of today's most interest Ideology and the Virtual City is an exploration of modern society and the critical value of popular culture. Ideology and the Virtual City is an exploration of modern society and the critical value of popular culture.